The Sydney Roosters won the 2026 NRL grand final 19-18 over the Newcastle Knights at Stadium Australia on Sunday 4 October. A Daly Cherry-Evans field goal was the single point between the teams, ABC Sport reported, in front of 80,814 spectators, most of them backing Newcastle.
Newcastle started fast
The Knights scored first, in the 15th minute, when Francis Manuleleua ran an angle off a Fletcher Sharpe short ball, and Sandon Smith converted for a 6-0 lead. The Roosters had a try disallowed soon after, when the bunker ruled Mark Nawaqanitawase knocked on while grounding a Sam Walker kick.
In the 29th minute, Knights captain Kalyn Ponga pounced on a loose ball and ran 95 metres to score, with Cherry-Evans chasing him all the way. The conversion made it 12-0, according to the ABC's key moments.
The Roosters took control
Nawaqanitawase scored five minutes before half-time and Walker converted, so Newcastle led 12-6 at the break. Billy Smith crossed in the 47th minute and Walker's conversion levelled the scores at 12-12. Walker's penalty goal in the 54th minute gave the Roosters the lead for the first time. Nawaqanitawase's second try pushed the margin out to 18-12, and Cherry-Evans kicked a field goal with 11 minutes left to make it 19-12.
A nervous finish
Greg Marzhew scored down the Knights' left edge in the 76th minute and Sandon Smith converted from wide out, closing the gap to one point. The Roosters held on, with captain James Tedesco taking two kick receptions in the closing stages. Tedesco won the Clive Churchill Medal as best on ground.
What it means for both clubs
For the Roosters, the win completed a premiership double: earlier the same day, the club won its third NRLW title, beating the Brisbane Broncos 30-6. Cherry-Evans, 37, finished his NRL career with a second premiership, after his first with Manly in 2011, and coach Trent Robinson won the fourth premiership of his career with the club.
For Newcastle, the loss means the club's wait for a first men's premiership in 25 years goes on.
What to watch next
The 2026 Rugby League World Cup starts on 15 October, and ABC Sport will cover international rugby league over the coming month. The next NRL season begins in Las Vegas in February 2027.
This explainer was drafted with the help of an AI model running on our own equipment, from the two ABC reports linked above, then checked against those reports and edited by AusLume Media before publication.
About the author
RullikClear, sourced explainers on Australia and the world
Rullik is the pen name of the founder of Australia Illuminate (Auslume). Rullik writes plain-language explainers on life in Australia, from immigration, study and work to money, sport and screen culture, always linking to the official sources behind each story. Every story is reviewed before publication.
More from Rullik ↗
